Supercars form. Sandown experience. Co-driver continuity.
All reasons why Red Bull Racing Holden duo Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell should be the Supercars team to beat in the Sandown 500 this weekend.
But the six-time series champion says another car should be favourite as the Enduro series begins in Melbourne.
"I definitely have Penske favourites. They're the ones to beat," Whincup told AAP.
"They've got some different recruits this year that will be absolutely on point.
They've got very fast cars and some very good people in there. We'll just try and make sure we're up there battling with them."
Whincup's comments belie the fact he enters Sandown as the hottest driver on the Supercars circuit.
With the exception of a 20th-placed finish in Ipswich after two pit-lane mishaps, Whincup has finished in the top four in the last 12 races.
And the 35-year-old boasts winning form at Sundown, with three victories - including 2013 and 2014 with Dumbrell.
This is the sixth year the pair have teamed up for Red Bull Racing.
By contrast, the DJR Team Penske cars - led by series leader Scott McLaughlin and third-placed Fabian Coulthard - are re-heating old pairings.
McLaughlin is reuniting with Alex Premat - his 2014 co-driver at Gary Rogers Motorsport.
Coulthard will race with former development series champion Tony D'Alberto, who paired as Supercars infants in 2005 at Bathurst.
While Whincup was happy to yield favouritism to the duo, he conceded his long-running pairing with Dumbrell could help.
"It's a plus, no doubt. Continuity is a good thing," he said.
"I don't know whether its a huge advantage but its certainly a plus. And we'll take whatever we can get."
In the sole practice session for full-time drivers, Whincup was sixth fastest in a wet session - ahead of Coulthard in ninth and 13th-placed McLaughlin.
Coulthard slipped off the track and into the tyre wall to finish the session early.
D'Alberto was able to emerge with the fixed-up Falcon to top the charts in the late afternoon wet session, with Dumbrell 14th and Premat 9th.
In the morning's dry co-driver session, Dumbrell was fifth, D'Alberto 13th and Premat took the No.17 car to 17th.
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